Relationships can be difficult. Being in a band is no different. And so it is that locally beloved Hermosa Beach punk quartet Pennywise had to take a few giant leaps backward, indulge in some serious reflection, as well as sessions of honest and at times painful communication, and swallow a lot of pride. That’s what it took to bring these four strong personalities back to the stage after nearly four acrimonious years apart.

It was just before Halloween when Pennywise dropped by KROQ’s Kevin & Bean morning show to excitedly share that vocalist Jim Lindberg had returned and that the quartet would celebrate its reunion – and its 25th anniversary – with two shows (tonight and Saturday) at the Hollywood Palladium.

When Lindberg announced his departure in August 2009, the split seemed amicable despite rumblings in the punk community of a nasty blowout. It certainly wasn’t because the singer, now 47, was thinking of retiring. He quickly contributed to The Other F Word, a documentary based on his 2007 book Punk Rock Dad: No Rules, Just Real Life, and formed another band, the Black Pacific, whose self-titled debut arrived in September 2010.

The rest of Pennywise – guitarist Fletcher Dragge, bassist Randy Bradbury and drummer Byron McMackin – carried on business as usual, picking up a new frontman, Zoli Teglas of O.C. punk outfit Ignite. The band continued to tour extensively, releasing its 10th studio set, All or Nothing, on Epitaph Records last May.

But by the end of the year Teglas had suffered a serious back injury and decided to leave the band and heal. With Pennywise’s future was once again uncertain, it was time for someone to extend an olive branch in hopes of reconciliation.

“I was with a friend of mine on my birthday,” Lindberg recalls, “and I said that the one regret I did have was: How did a band who has a song called ‘Bro Hymn’ and so many songs about friendship and unity – how did we screw that up?”

During a phone interview last week he admitted there had been zero communication with his old mates during his time away.

“People have to understand that it wasn’t just about me leaving the band,” he explained. “Here in the South Bay there was a big group of friends that were very much caught up in the divorce. Pennywise was about unity and we brought together very different groups of people, whether it was surfers, punk rockers, college kids, delinquent kids – all of these people from all walks of life had joined our community. And when I left it split everyone up.

“There were a lot of reasons I had at the time for leaving that I didn’t go into, and still don’t want to go into, because I don’t believe in airing our dirty laundry. It’s difficult for four people to compromise for over 20 years. It got to a point where I needed a break – we all needed a break. But for someone as strong-willed as Fletcher, that wasn’t in the cards.”

Dragge, known for wild offstage antics as much as crushing his guitar onstage, says he took a hard look in the mirror before finally reaching out to his longtime friend. It was the first of numerous conversations, everyone coming clean about reasons for the breakdown, some dating back to how the group dealt with the suicide of original Pennywise bassist Jason Thirsk in 1996.

“We had all been through a lot,” Dragge says, “and I think losing Jason was a big part of us separating. I know for Jim there were such feelings of guilt. There had to be some healing and people taking responsibility.

“I had to take responsibility for being a crazy nightmare … try not to pass off the blame on other people and admit that I had a role in this, too. Once you can do all of that in any kind of relationship, you can move forward and have good times ahead. Right now things are really good.”

So good, in fact, that as band therapy continues, more shows are being added, including an appearance at the sixth annual Musink Tattoo Convention & Music Festival in Costa Mesa on March 9.

Reconciling the Past

Lindberg laughs at the idea that Pennywise had to pull a Metallica to move forward, but then suggests that every long-running band should seek counseling. “Before a merch guy, before a manager and an agent, they should employ a great therapist because it’s difficult for guys to communicate already.”

Pennywise certainly didn’t have one when the group formed in 1988 and signed to Epitaph Records two years later, issuing a self-titled debut in 1991. They quickly gained popularity, coming up alongside NOFX, Rancid, the Offspring, the Vandals, Blink-182 and Bad Religion.

In 1995 the quartet got a taste of commercial success when About Time clawed its way onto the Billboard albums chart. The band rose higher with 1999’s Straight Ahead and 2001’s Land of the Free? By the end of the last decade they were becoming local legends still willing to take risks, like releasing their 2008 album Reason to Believe as a free download on MySpace.

Yet, as Lindberg points out, by then “we had gotten into a rut of album-tour-album-tour. The people in our direct peer group – Rancid, Bad Religion, NOFX – the guys in those bands all had other outlets. We never had that in Pennywise. Another perspective really does help. It’s like a release valve and it’s why I wanted to do a record on my own. It’s not like I had any illusions that it was going to be a big thing. I just wanted to do a record I could turn the bass up on. … It was a great release for a while.

“But at the same time it felt really comfortable being back in that rehearsal room with this group of guys and remembering what I loved about the band in the first place.”

Lindberg and Dragge agree that once major issues were hashed out, getting back into the swing of things wasn’t awkward at all. Dragge compares it to being on tour and away from your favorite Mexican food restaurant, then finally returning home to devour your go-to dish.

“It had been three years since we had played together but in the first 30 seconds I was like: ‘Oh yeah, that’s what Pennywise is supposed to sound like,” he adds. “No disrespect to Zoli at all, it just felt right and we all had smiles come across our faces. It’s what we all needed.”

“I’m not sure if I can compare myself to a delicious enchilada,” Lindberg responds with a chuckle, “but I see where Fletcher is going with that, because that’s comfort food. I feel like Pennywise is that for a lot of people in Southern California.”

He’s grateful for the warm reception the rather rapid reunion has received. “Sometimes people worry about what the motivations are for something like this, but it isn’t probably what they suspect. Our coming back together says something about the power of forgiveness and realizing that this is bigger than all of us. We needed to take a step back and appreciate each other, but most of all our fans.”

Lindberg admits it was strange to stand by while another vocalist presented his life stories, though he tried to stay away from it. He had known Teglas for years and gave his blessing toward him taking over as frontman, but he wishes the rest of the group had formed another band instead of continuing as Pennywise without him.

But once they moved past that, the foursome realized 2013 marks 25 years of Pennywise, a milestone none of them thought they’d reach. In addition to the Palladium celebrations, the band is working on a box set, which might include Lindberg discussing the lyrical inspirations behind some of the band’s staple songs.

“A lot of these songs, even now looking back, they may seem simplistic, but they have different applications later on in life,” he says. “Like ‘Come Out Fighting’: We were playing that earlier today and listening to the lyrics that Jason (Thirsk) wrote a long time ago. They’re such important words about being down and always coming back. It’s an important lesson and one we need to listen to and follow ourselves.

“We want to come back fighting now and we want to kick some ass. We’re not coming back just for the money or whatever. We feel like we’ve got something to prove and we want to establish that in our legacy.”

Pennywise plays Jan. 18-19 at the Hollywood Palladium, with Lagwagon, Strung Out and Pulley opening. Tickets are sold out, but StubHub has many available. Face value: $19.99. Also catch the band March 9 at the Musink Tattoo Convention & Music Festival at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, $25.

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of “The Walking Dead,” somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on “Celebrity Name Game” for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.

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